President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday telephoned Army Chief General Bajwa and condoled with him over the martyrdom of Army officials. He prayed higher status for the departed souls in heaven.

Expressing his deep sorrow and grief over the unfortunate incident, the President prayed for the elevation of their ranks in Jannah and also expressed sympathy for their families for their irreparable loss.

Paying tribute to the martyrs' services for the country and the nation, the President said that these officers were selflessly engaged in relief operations disregarding the danger posed to their lives to alleviate the suffering of the flood victims.

The President added that the entire nation is indebted to them and salutes them for responding to the call of duty and providing relief to the people facing hardship due to heavy floods and bad weather.

During his conversation, the President affectionately recalled a briefing given to him by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali during one of his visits to Gawadar and said that he found the officer extremely capable and intelligent having exceptional management skills.

Chief of Army Staff, while apprising the President of the unfortunate incident, said that the helicopter met an accident because of low visibility due to bad weather and added that the wreckage of the helicopter had been recovered and all military officers had embraced martyrdom.

Source: Radio Pakistan